Overhead door operator



4 R. E. BEAR OVERHEAD DOOR OPERATOR June 1, 1965 Filed April 30, 1963 & m M 1 m A m kw United States Patent 3,186,038 OVERHEAD DOOR OPERATOR Ralston E. Bear, 2281 E. MountaimPasadena, Calif. Filed Apr. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 276,936 Claims. (Cl.'20-16) This invention relates to an operator for an overhead door.

Persons having turn on a horizontal axis and operate between a substantially vertical and substantially horizontal overhead position are aware of the diflic'ulties inherent in their use, particularly that of positively controlling the position of the door in all intermediate positions. One difficulty with these doors is that when the door is in its uppermost position, the only way now provided to pull it down is to grasp a rope dangling therefrom and to pull on it. However, this starts the door in full rapid motion toward the person, requiring some agility in getting out of the way, and furthermore requires grasping a moving part of the door in order to slow it down as it approaches its lowermost position. It is an object of this invention to provide an operator which is always in a convenient location relative to the user, and which can be held in the users hand in any position of the door so that the door is under positive control at its two extreme positions as well as in the intermediate positions thereof, thereby rendering its operation completely safe, and which can be operated with only one hand.

An operator according to this invention includes a bracket adapted to be attached to a face of the door, and an extended handle element pivotally mounted thereto. Retention means interengage the handle element and the bracket so as to retain the handle in a selected position. P

According to a preferred but optional feature of the invention, the retention means comprises a ramp member on the bracket, which ramp member is angularly related to the plane of motion of the handle element, the handle element being biased against the ramp member.

overhead doors of the class which The aboveand other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are front and side elevations of an overhead door in two of its limiting positions, showing the operator of the invention in two of its limiting positions;

- FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front view of the presently preferred embodiment of operator according to the invention when the door is in the position of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a back view of FIG. 3 showing an element in a different position;

FIG. 5 is a top view of FIG. 3 showing an element in still another position; 7

FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-section showing alternate embodimentsof portions of a device according to the invention;

- FIG. 8 is a top view of a portion of still another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 isa bottom view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-section taken at line 10 10 of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-section of a fragment of still another embodiment of the invention.

An operator 20 according to this invention is shown attached to face 21 of an overhead door 22. The door is mounted in an opening in the face of a building 23. As shown in FIG. 2, such a door is ordinarily attached to a hinge 24, of which there are usually two, through a support 25, and rotates around a horizontal axis 26. The face of the door moves between the substantially vertical position shown in FIG. 1 and the substantially horizontal position shown in FIG. 2.

3,13%,fi38 Patented June 1, 19565 'ice The presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3, wherein a bracket 27 is provided, which is adapted to be attached to face 21 by screws 28 passed through mounting holes 29 in base 30 of the bracket. The bracket includes a pair of side plates 31, 32, which have holes 33, 34 therethrough.

The bracket support, through the side plates, a ramp member 35, which includes portions that are disposed at an axis to the plane of motion of a handle element 36. The handle element is shown in full detail in FIGS. 1 and 5 and extends a substantial distance away from the bracket. It includes a central bight 37 and a pair of arms 38, 39, which are substantially parallel to each other and which extend away from opposite ends of the bight. The bight may, if desired, be provided with a rotatable tubular grip 40 for ease in use. This grip is ordinarily placed over an extended rod, and then the rod is bent to the form shown in the drawings.

At each of the free ends of arms 38 and 39, there is a stub shaft 41, 42. These stub shafts respectively pass through holes 33 and 34. The handle element, in its condition free from the bracket, has a spacing between the arms greater than the spacing between the side plates so that the arms must be sprung together and then snapped into the respective holes, the legs thereby exerting a side force against the side plates. For this reason, the material of the handle element is ordinarily a mildly springy steel.

Those portions of the legs which are adjacent to the ramps are adapted to ride along the ramp members. First ramp sections 43, 44 curve away from the side plates as they approach the bracket on one side thereof and approach the side plates as they approach the axis of the handle element. Second ramp sections 45, 46 similarly are inclined, but extend in the opposite sense, and terminate in lock recesses 47, 48, which are re-entrant portions adapted to receive the arms when they are in the position shown in FIG. 4.

An alternate means for mounting the stub shafts to the bracket is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. For use in this embodiment, the stub shafts are modified by threads 50. A first backup nut 51 is threaded thereon. This is followed by washer 52 of frictional-faced material such as leather or the like. Stub shaft 49 passes through hole 53 in side plate 54 of bracket 55. On the opposite side, there is a flat washer 56, a Belleville washer 57 or some other deformable washer, a second flat washer 58, a backup nut 59 and a lock nut 60. The stack described exerts a biasing force between the side plate and the stub shaft through washer 52, and thereby tends to exert frictional resistance to motion of the handle element,

thereby serving to limit its motion so that it will stay in a selected position. The remainder of the handle element is the same as that in FIG. 1. The bracket is symmetrical around center line 61.

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate an alternate embodiment of side plates in which a side plate 65 is shown which has a ramp member 66 which is continuous over substantially a full 180 are around hole 67. Bracket 69 is symmetrical around center line 70.

FIG. 11 illustrates still another type of side plate 72 which includes as its retention means, a scalloped shoulder 73 with a plurality of scallops 74. Hole 75 passes a stub shaft of a handle element such as handle element 36. The arms of the handle element are springbiased toward the scalloped shoulder so that the handle tends to remain in a selected position. Bracket 76 is symmetrical around center line 77.

The operation of the devices should be evident from the foregoing, the difference between the embodiments merely being in the nature of the retention elements which serve to retain the handle element in the position where a user leaves it. For example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5, the handle element will remain in the lock recess when the door is in the vertical position of FIG. 1, the arms falling into the position shown in FIG. 4, the handle element thereby being supported by the bracket close to the door and out of the way. When the user desires to raise the door, he simply grasps the grip and pulls outwardly and up. Through the first portion of the arc, the user is pulling directly against the bracket. Soon the handle begins to pivot relative to the bracket, and as the door passes above the user, the handle element can be used to exert a restraining effect on the upward motion of the door, as well as to push it upward. In fact, restraint can be exerted at any intermediate position as well, through the linkage, even though a rotatable grip portion and a pivotal mounting for the handle element are used.

When the door reaches the position shown in FIG. 2, the user may simply let go of the handle element, and it will remain in the position where he let go of it. This can be at the location shown in FIG. 2, or by appropriate bending of the handle element (as shown in FIG. 2) immediately adjacent to the bracket can be made even lower. The retention means, namely the ramp portion, and the spring bias of the arms make a frictional engagement between the handle and the bracket which will cause the handle element to remain in the position where it was left. It has been found useful to have the first ramp sections shaped as they are shown in order that the increased springing action which results as the handle element is drawn down will counterbalance the greater moment as the handle element projects practically horizontally.

At the central position as shown in FIG. 3, there is no need for the retention means to be in operation, because this position corresponds to the handle element lying flat on the ground, which position is never used. In proper operation, the handle element is either locked as shown in FIG. 4 or is in some intermediate position with the arm riding on the first ramp section as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. However, the second ramp section is similarly formed to provide a bias which would tend to spring the handle out of its locked position should it not be fully locked in order that it will more conveniently be available to the user.

The embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrates a frictional drag for retention means whereby the handle element vw'll remain in a selected position.

The embodiment of FIGS. 8-10 illustrates a continuous ramp section which tends to bias the handle to the position of FIG. 1, except that the frictional drag between the two will prevent it from readily snapping to that position. It has been found that this continuous ramp enables the handle to be retained in-an adjusted position when the door is in the position of FIG. 2, but tends to return the handle to the position of FIG. 1 when the door is down.

The embodiment of FIG. 11 shows a device for holding the handle element in a plurality of discrete positions rather than an indefinite number, the retention means comprising the scallops combined with the springy nature of the handle element.

While the device has been shown as including a doublea ball and socket construction, with the handle element mounted to the ball, and the ball mounted to the bracket.

The embodiments disclosed herein provide an inexpensive and convenient operator for an overhead door which enables the door to be used without having to grasp a flexible element and dodge the door when it comes down.

The handle element can remain at an adjusted height for a user later to grasp, and which stands in an out-of-the way position when the door is closed. It is inexpensive to manufacture and expedient to use.

This invention is not to be limited by the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the description which are given by way of example and not of limitation, but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination: an overhead door which has an outwardly directed face that pivots around a horizontal axis between a substantially vertical and a substantially horizontal position, and an operator for said door comprising: a bracket attached to said outwardly directed face adjacent to an edge thereof, said bracket including a pair of side plates, each side plate having a hole therethrough; an extended handle element having a central bight, a pair of substantially parallel arms adapted to overhang said edge, one extending from each end of the bight, and a stub shaft at the end of each of said arms, the stub shafts passing through the holes, thereby to journal the handle element to the bracket; and retention means interengaging the handle element and bracket so as to retain the handle in a selected position.

2. A combination according to claim 1 in which the retention means comprises a spring-loaded pivot joint frictionally biasing the handle element and bracket together so as to exert a drag opposed to pivotal motion of the handle element relative to the bracket.

3. A combination according to claim 1 in which the retention means comprises a scalloped shoulder, and in which the handle element is springily biased against the said shoulder.

4. A combination according to claim 1 in which the retention means comprises a ramp member on the bracket and angularly related to the plane of motion of the bandle element, the handle element being biased against the ramp member.

5. A combination according to claim 4 in which the ramp includes a lock recess to receive a portion of handle element and hold it in a position adjacent to the door when the door is in its vertical position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 420, 134 1 Whittier.

980,193 1/11 Brenia 16-126 2,660,765 12/53 Carlson 2016 2,973,561 3/61 Jackson 20--16 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: AN OVERHEAD DOOR WHICH HAS AN OUTWARDLY DIRECTED FACE THAT PIVOTS AROUND A HORIZONTAL AXIS BETWEEN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AND A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION, AND AN OPERATOR FOR SAID DOOR COMPRISING: A BRACKET ATTACHED TO SAID OUTWARDLY DIRECTED FACE ADJACENT TO AN EDGE THEREOF, SAID BRACKET INCLUDING A PAIR OF SIDE PLATES, EACH SIDE PLATE HAVING A HOLE THERETHROUGH; AN EXTENDED HANDLE ELEMENT HAVING A CENTRAL BIGHT, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL ARMS ADAPTED TO OVERHANG SAID EDGE, ONE EXTENDING FROM EACH END OF THE BIGHT, AND A STUB SHAFT AT THE END OF EACH OF SAID ARMS, THE STUB SHAFTS PASSING THROUGH THE HOLES, THEREBY TO JOURNAL THE HANDLE ELEMENT TO THE BRACKET; AND RETENTION MEANS INTERENGAGING THE HANDLE ELEMENT AND BRACKET SO AS TO RETAIN THE HANDLE IN A SELECTED POSITION. 